Michigan aims to identify health risk behaviors

Published On: Mar 23 2013 02:14:03 PM EDT

LANSING, Mich. -

Michigan is rolling out new guidelines designed to help health providers better identify teens with high-risk behaviors.

The statewide guidelines recommend that adolescents be assessed for health-risk behaviors, such as violence, at least once a year. They also recommend that health care providers use one of four screening tools to ensure adolescents are consistently screened statewide.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says high-risk behaviors are the primary cause of the death or serious injury of about three-quarters of teens.

The Michigan Department of Community Health says a recent survey shows the importance of screening teens for risky behaviors as part of their total health assessment. In the survey of 20,000 youth in school-based health care centers in Michigan, 24 percent of teens reported depression.

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